


The Great Red Dragon & The Man Singed With Flame

by sad_brat



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fighting, Hallucinations, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, M/M, Minor Violence, Now With More Tags!, Stockholm Syndrome, The Fluff Is Upon Us, fredragon, sort of, there's fluff there... somewhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-18 08:33:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5914546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sad_brat/pseuds/sad_brat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story about how Frederick Chilton ended up living with Francis Dolarhyde.<br/>This is after Frederick's encounter with Francis, but it differs from canon. In this there was no severe violence inflicted upon Frederick by Francis, only fear.</p>
<p>Warning: Themes may become more mature as the story progresses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reuniting With The Beast

        Frederick took a few uneasy steps on down the sidewalk, cane clicking against the hard path. A noise of disgust left him when he stepped in a small puddle, causing him to make the decision of staring down and watching where he was stepping, rather than focusing on his other surroundings. He tried to roll the tension from his shoulders and neck, only causing a sharper ache and a growing sense of regret for sleeping in his office. A breeze passed that caused him to shiver and turn up the collar of his coat, not from the cold. He had developed a tendency to shake like a leaf over the smallest of occurrences.  
  
        He frowned softly, just because it seemed like the proper response to how his day had been going, before he turned the corner, not expecting to connect face first with someone's chest. The man in front of him didn't have any sort of angered reaction as he backpedaled. "I'm sorry, I should have been looking where I was going." He murmured softly, dropping his cane and bending down to collect the contents of the file the other had dropped. He winced, the scar on his abdomen still tender as he strained to gather the papers and photographs. He fumbled a bit before tucking them into the folder in a neat stack.  
  
        The man in front of him made a small noise, sounding possibly like pity. The stranger leaned down, firm hands settling over Frederick's shoulders and lifting him to his feet, hardly giving him time to grab the manila folder. He glanced up and choked on a scream as the other man covered his mouth. "Don't yell." Francis mumbled softly, eyes searching Frederick's to pick up on his emotions. Frederick whimpered behind the taller male's hand, legs quivering and threatening to give out, both from fear, and the pain he was starting to feel from Francis keeping him balanced on his toes uncomfortably.  
  
        Francis, though hating receiving sympathy in any form, could not stop himself from giving it, at least for Frederick's sake. "I'm going to uncover your mouth. Don't yell again... Alright?" He spoke slowly, avoiding that certain letter that would cause him embarrassment, which he didn't need at the moment. Frederick closed his eyes tightly and gave a quick nod, a tear rolling down his cheek. When he reached to wipe it away, Francis stopped him, getting rid it himself after removing his hand from the other's mouth. He recoiled when the other flinched and started to tremble again.  
  
        Luckily, there were no bystanders to witness the two. This kept Frederick's pride intact, and stopped anyone from getting in Francis's way and ruining his plan. "I'm not going to hurt you, don't be afraid." He whispered, thumb running over the leftover streak the tear had brought.  _Fear is not what you owe me._  The words echoed-no-  _rattled_ in his mind. The thoughts of that terrifying encounter causing him to shed into another, more severe, panic, quiet sobs leaving him and shaking his entire body as he tried to contain them. Francis sighed and pulled the other against his chest, muffling the distressed sounds. He rocked him carefully, attempting to comfort him, but only succeeding in bringing out more cries.  
  
        Frederick expected quite a few things to happen to him as soon as he had met Francis's eyes for the first time that night. He would have expected being abducted again. He would have expected being tortured. He would have even expected death. The one thing that wasn't considered a possibility at all was comfort. Francis didn't understand why the smaller man was reacting in that way, but he didn't bother asking what was wrong. He just stood in silence and ran a hand through Frederick's hair until the sobbing was replaced by worn out sniffles and he was sure the other was feeling better.  
  
        A tiny noise of gratitude left Frederick as he pulled away to have Francis dab his tears away with a sleeve. "I... I don't understand, why are you here? How did you know I was here- Have you been stal-stalking me?" He stammered, still working through his emotions, eyes wide. Francis glanced down at the folder Frederick was almost crushing in his hands, surprised he hadn't dropped it. He slowly reached for the file, only for Frederick to take a large step back. His hands began to shake as he looked through the collection of photos and notes, recognizing himself in all of them. He stopped himself from dropping the folder before hesitantly giving it back to Francis.  
  
        The two stood in an awkward silence for a while, Frederick staring at his shoes and Francis taking an interest in the brick wall beside them. Finally a throat was cleared. "I need you to come with me, I know that it might be an odd request... but I need you." Francis spoke quietly, working around the 's' as well as he could. If Frederick noticed the slur, he didn't mention it, something for which Francis was thankful. "I'm- I can't just... No." Frederick tripped over his own words, shocked by the request. He was even more in awe of the fact that he was actually continuing the conversation instead of screaming for help or running, even though he had a minimal chance of outrunning Francis.  
  
        The taller man nodded in understanding, but his expression obviously gave away that he would persist. "You have to. I don't want to end up kidnapping you, I want your consent. Please." Francis pleaded in a hushed tone, eyes containing a glint of pain, barely peeking through the overpowering determination. Frederick sighed heavily, slumping. "I cannot believe I'm saying this... Fine, fine. But this is only because I don't really have a choice in the matter and there aren't any witnesses around to help me." He muttered, catching a hint of a smile tugging at the other's lips. "Good. Thank you very much. You've made the right choice." Francis praised, pulling the other into a loose embrace.


	2. Living With The Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frederick moves in. The Dragon does not approve. An argument ensues.

        The sky was dark when the two finally arrived at Francis's home. Frederick had stopped walking after a few blocks, boldly beginning to complain of his feet aching. Francis, instead of arguing or trying to get the other to stop whining, decided to carry him the rest of the way. He didn't miss the blush rising on the other's skin when he lowered him from his back. "Thank you... what happened to that  _delightful_ van of yours? You could have just driven." Frederick mumbled tiredly, drained of energy, but somehow still able conjure up his usual sarcasm. The taller of the duo refrained from rolling his eyes. "I left it here, I thought I would make a better connection face to face." He explained, opening the door.

  
        Frederick inched inside of the house, his hands tucked beneath his arms to prevent him from touching anything. He timidly looked around, not realizing he had stopped walking after a few steps until he heard Francis sigh directly behind him. He continued his journey for a few moments until he found a couch, sitting down hesitantly as he waited for the other to catch up. "Listen... I know I agreed to this, but I want to make sure I'm not always going to be stuck here for the rest of my life." He spoke with a less than confident waver. When he met Francis's eyes, he bit his lip. "Or, I mean, I could just stay here... constantly... without argument." He corrected softly.

  
        Francis shook his head and seated himself on the table in front of the smaller man, staring into his eyes. "You're not going to be trapped here forever. But I do need to make a few things clear, okay?" He reassured, placing a hand on Frederick's shoulder. Being the fearful man he was, Frederick gave a nod, awaiting instructions. Francis appreciated this, any argument now would cause the Dragon to stir. He did not want this to happen. Not yet. "Good... I am not an indolent man, but I need a helping hand. I would like for you to do the cooking and cleaning, I don't expect you to do it daily, but ple-... try." He murmured.

  
        Frederick agreed quickly with a raised brow. "That isn't a problem, but I only know how to prepare a handful of meals. And don't worry about altering your speech... I like the way you talk." He offered, leaning a bit closer with a determined look, not showing even a hint of deception. This caused an almost foreign emotion in Francis, his face heating with the compliment. He tensed when he witnessed the familiar rasp of the Dragon, the presence weighing in heavily. Frederick was a mere man. Not fit to be a part of his Becoming. But that was not Francis's opinion, not fully. There was some part of him that needed Frederick, yearned for him to be at his side. That part of him was overpowering the wish to be alone as he rose to greatness.

  
        He put it out of his mind and pinched the bridge of his nose before calming, keeping the Dragon at bay. "I would also like for you to ask before you leave. I don't want to be unaware of where you are." He added to the list, flinching subtly when he slurred. Frederick only smiled and gave another nod. "Of course, I'll keep your trust intact." He replied, tone calm and a contradiction to the remaining panic thrumming through his body. Francis seemed to like that, because Frederick could swear he noticed a smile tug at the other's mouth. Francis suddenly stood and motioned for Frederick to follow as he padded upstairs. Frederick chewed the inside of his cheek as he trailed after the other, focusing on his back.

  
        The stairs seemed to go on forever, bringing thoughts into Frederick's head. " _This is killing my legs... ha... killing..."_ Another few steps.  _"Oh, please don't let him slip. I'll die if he falls on me."_ He grew more nervous, sidestepping and walking with his body pressed against the wall rather than the railing, when another thought popped into his mind.  _"He could probably just shove me through the wall anyways."_ He sighed and cheered inwardly when they reached the top. He glanced down and realized that there couldn't have been much more than thirty stairs. He shook his head with a soft laugh before noticing Francis had walked into another room. He stepped through the doorway and scanned the room.

  
        Francis stood in the middle and glanced at the other. "You'll sleep here. If you want I could give you money for new bedding or curtains, anything you need." He offered. Frederick took a tiny step closer, like a mouse having to be coaxed out of its hiding place. "I... No, that won't be necessary. I like this, very... Very vintage." He commented, shedding his shoes and sweater, placing them in the closet to show that he was making an effort to make this work. Francis nodded and moved to the door again. "I will prepare dinner for tonight, you can rest here." He murmured, bravely testing the truth of the other's comment about liking his voice. Frederick smiled and complied by crawling into bed and carefully settling under the comforter, closing his eyes and relaxing once the other left, closing the door.

  
        Francis rolled his shoulders on his way to the kitchen, huffing as a tender bruise began to throb again. He rubbed his eyes, tensing as he felt the Dragon's presence again. He felt a twinge of annoyance, like a twitch in his brain, tugging every time he tried to ignore it, reminding him that the Dragon wasn't going to fade away and stay in the background. He balled his fist tightly, going white-knuckled as he tried to avert his attention to cooking, gathering a few ingredients. Part of him hoped Frederick wouldn't think the meal was mediocre, though another really didn't care. He had started making this and other variations of it constantly for weeks, wanting to be prepared to have meals that Frederick could actually enjoy, so he was confident that it would be up to par. The Dragon obviously wasn't pleased with the distraction.

  
_"Do not ignore me."_ It growled lowly, breath hitting Francis's neck with a heat rivaling the purest fire. "I'm not... I'm-... Go away." Francis stammered back, turning the stove on and sighing quietly.  _"You are. You should not lie to me, Francis."_ An angered hiss slipped into the voice, setting the man on edge though he had heard it many times. "Just leave, I want him to like me. I won't let you scare him off!" He snarled back. The small argument grew to be a battle. The Dragon overpowered him, splitting open his bottom lip against the edge of the counter. The pot of ingredients was pushed aside and Francis's face was lowered towards the exposed burner. He began to tremble during the struggle, caught off guard by a sudden shout of surprise.

  
        Frederick hurried to Francis and turned off the stove, a bewildered look plastered to his face. Francis searched his eyes, trying to understand when he had gotten there, and how he had caused the Dragon to flee back into the darkened corners of his mind. "What the hell are you doing? Dios mio, look at your face... You're burned." Frederick began to fuss over him like an overly dramatic mother would to a sheltered child. The taller man just listened on in silence as Frederick scolded him. He followed without complaint or resistance when the other brought him upstairs, to the guest bathroom. "Sit down, please, I need to clean that..." Frederick mumbled, searching the medicine cabinet and relaxing when he found a bottle of iodine, along with a few bandages. "This might sting... but you probably have dealt with worse." He warned.

  
        Once the small burn was cleaned and covered, the two stared at each other quietly. This continued for quite some time before Frederick decided to be merciful and end the awkward silence. "What was going on? Why were you shouting?" He questioned, trying to further understand. Francis's eyes widened slightly and he leaned in close as if he were about to tell the biggest secret in the world. "It was the Dragon. He wants you gone, he doesn't want you around to spoil my Becoming." He whispered, a bit surprised when Frederick seemed to understand perfectly. "And you don't want me to leave?" Frederick added, receiving a nod from the other. "Well, don't you worry about that, because I'm not afraid of the Dragon, he's not going to send me running off." He assured, feeling a strange need to comfort his captor. He entertained the thought that he could be losing his mind already.


End file.
